Calculation of ground water ages--a comparative analysis

Ground water age is a fundamental, yet complex, concept in ground water hydrology. Discrepancies between results obtained through different modeling approaches for ground water age calculation have been reported, in particular, between ground water ages modeled by advection and direct simulation of ground water ages (e.g., age-mass approach), which includes effects of advection and dispersion. Here, through a series of two-dimensional (2D) simulations, the impact of water mixing through advection and dispersion on modeled 14C and directly simulated ground water ages is assessed. Impact of dispersion on modeled ages is systematically stronger in areas where water velocities are smaller and far more pronounced on 14C ages. This effect is also observed in one-dimensional models. 2D simulations show that longitudinal dispersion generally acts as a "source" of 14C, while vertical dispersion acts as a "sink," leading to apparent younger or older modeled 14C ages as compared to advective and directly simulated ground water ages. The presence of permeable and impermeable faults provides an equally important source for discrepancies, leading to major differences in modeled ages among the three methods considered. Overall, our results show that a 14C modeling approach using a solute transport model for calculating ground water age appears to be more reliable in ground water systems without faults and where water velocities are relatively high than in systems that are relatively more heterogeneous and those where faults are present. Among the three modeling approaches considered here, direct simulation of ground water age seems to yield the most consistent results in complex, heterogeneous ground water flow systems, giving a vertical age structure consistent with ages expected from consideration of the flow system.